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Selling new frame vs. built up bike

1K views 18 replies 12 participants last post by  VQuick 
#1 ·
My Gary Fisher Cobia gave me years of good service until the seat tube cracked recently. Thanks to Trek's lifetime warranty, I just received a 2013 Superfly AL Elite frame. Being a more modern frame, it has a tapered headtube and a press-fit BB so I would need a new fork and drivetrain if I were to build up this bike. I'm in the market for an AM full suspension bike and I don't need 2 mountain bikes, so I'm trying to figure out what would be the best way to get a fair price for the frame.

A friend says I will do better if I sell as a full bike. But building a bike would require $300-400 for a front fork, as well as the new drivetrain, headset, and probably seatpost. Though I love building bikes and it would be a fun project, it seems risky to buy a bunch of new components and then hope someone is willing to pay more than I just spent. Thoughts?
 
#3 ·
Sell the frame. By the time you have figured in all the expense of building it up plus your time building it you will possibly need to double the value before it pays back.

A cheap bike sells better complete but a what I call an enthusiast bike is worth more when split and sold seperately.
 
#4 ·
Sell the frame. Why would anyone pay you more for a complete bike that you had to buy all the parts in the aftermarket? Unless you have all the spare parts sitting around or have access to parts at shop employee discount then it makes no sense to build it up.

One caveat, if the frame has no aftermarket value, like a real entry level that people don't want to build up then you may have a hard time even getting any interest as a frame only. I doubt that is the case with the Superfly frame.

If you want an All Mountain bike, have you considered taking the frame back to the shop and seeing if they will give you credit for the frame value to apply towards a full suspension bike from their shop?
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the input--definitely confirms what I was thinking. Cjsb, the shop only carries Trek and Cannondale mountain bikes, and their options for AM 27.5 bikes don't impress me when you compare to Devinci, Norco, and even Santa Cruz's new offerings/prices.

I'll see if I can sell the Superfly frame locally, and if not, eBay. There is a recent completed listing on eBay for this frame new that went for $431. I'd be happy to get that kind of money considering I bought the original Fisher bike at cost (~$700) 5 years ago because of a collegiate cycling team discount.
 
#9 ·
Slash appears to be aluminum only, and I am looking for carbon (though realize the differences aren't huge). The Trek Remedy is actually closer to what I want (140-150 mm travel) and has a carbon version for $4,200 but has a lower end fork. Compare the Devinci Troy Carbon XP for $3600-3800 with Rock Shox Pike, one of the best forks made. I'd rather upgrade the drivetrain when it wears out than upgrade to a higher end and expensive fork. (Pikes sell for almost $1K).
 
#17 ·
Sell the frame alone. If you want to do something with all the parts maybe look for a used frame to dress all the parts on and sell it as a complete....but that'd require more work than it may be worth.


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